So Shiloh is about 5 months old now and she's still very small compared to the rest of the pack, very much a puppy, maybe 25 pounds but she has already begun challenging our 14 year old husky mix female. I feed everyone in separate areas because my mals will start fights and eat everyone else food. Feather, the 14 year old gets fed in the computer room and I close the door because she eats slow. Yesterday Feather had been in the computer room long enough that I knew she would have finished eating. When I opened the door Shiloh rushed in to check out Feather's dish. Feather was between Shiloh and the now empty dish so Shiloh attacked Feather. Of course it was brief because I was there to immediately stop it. When they are outside Shiloh will also try to get in the way of Feather coming inside, barking and snapping at her as she tries to walk up the stairs and come to me. Feather is already extremely fearful of my female malamute Nova because she has been attacked by her several times, a couple times over her food dish, but a couple of times I have witnessed Nova just jump her out in the yard. It's fairly obvious to me that they do it because they know Feather is old and can't defend herself. Nova is fairly well behaved and I can stop the fights by calling her off and obviously I don't have Feather out with Nova unattended ever anymore. My question is how do I put a stop to this behavior in Shiloh, while she is still young? I don't want her to grow up to be a bully. I know Feather may only have another year or two with us, she's slowed down alot, she's arthritic, sleeps most of the days away and doesn't eat much anymore. I don't want her last couple years or so to be miserable ones! Everyone is exercised, Shiloh goes on 2 walks/day and the others get walkydogged with the bike a few miles everyday, they also have a huge yard which they play in all day long.

Aww. I'm sorry for that!

Question: Do they get walked together? Maybe it might be worth walking Shiloh and Feather together for 15-20 mins a day?

You know, that's a REALLY good idea. I hadn't thought to try it and though I don't walk Feather much because she's arthritic and really doesn't go far anymore, Shiloh's walks aren't very long either because she's still a pup. I will do that today!

Sometimes it's the simple things that we forget to think about


Hope it helps!

I have the same empty food bowl issues, but with mine is vice versa. My 5yr old female attacks my 7month old male when he even walks near her empty food bowl. For goodness sake she even attacks him when he smells where the food bowl "was" LOL!

Good luck with Shiloh learning to like Feather a bit more =)